Budget Woes Force Vancouver
Public Library to Close for a Week
Cash-strapped Vancouver Public Library in British Columbia closed its doors August 29 for a nine-day hiatus through Labor Day in order to save about $115,000 and deal with a budget shortfall. The closure affects the main library and all 20 of the system’s branches. The library’s catalog and Internet connections were shut down and the book-return drops sealed. Overdue fines will be suspended. Full-time staff were told they could either take vacation days or a leave without pay.
Funding for the library system dropped about 10%, or $330,000, last year, according to the August 25 Vancouver Sun. Library board chair Mary Collins told the newspaper that days selected for closure were the slowest time of the year. She said the board has been unsuccessful in getting the city council to place a library funding initiative on the ballot in the November 20 civic election. A September 14 board meeting is scheduled to examine the issue.
The library closed for a week during the same period in 1997 for similar reasons.
Posted September 6, 1999.
|
